"Inspiration" Sculpture - Manly, NSW, Australia
S 33° 47.904 E 151° 16.884
56H E 340907 N 6258869
This sandstone bas relief sculpture by Francis Sargant is near the Manly Art Gallery & Museum.
Waymark Code: WMZ5NJ
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 09/13/2018
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An accomplished sculptor, Francis Sargant was born in January 1870, and died in January 1960 in England. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (England), then in Florence and Munich. Most of his works are held and displayed in Europe, this one seeming to an exception. [Some information from: (
visit link) ]
"This sandstone bas relief depicts a mythological scene where one of the nine goddesses of learning and the arts endows a man with the genius of inspiration. Born in England, Francis William Sargant spent most of his early life in Italy as a sculptor. In the lead up to World War II, Sargant was forced to leave Italy for Corfu and then to Athens where he was forced to evacuate from the German invasion. Evacuated to Alexandria, Sargant was suspected as a spy and forced into an internment camp. He was later released and boarded a ship for Sydney, the only possession with him the plasticine model for the sculpture Inspiration - sacrificing his overcoat to bring it to Australia! In Sydney a local stonemason provided Sargant with the tools and facilities to complete the work whereby, as a tribute to the hospitality shown to him here in Sydney, he donated the work to Manly Art Gallery & Museum in 1944." [ex-below website link]
To the front of the sculpture is a cast bronze plaque with:
"Francis William Sargant (English 1870 - 1960)
Inspiration c1940
sandstone bas relief
This sculpture is part of the Public Art in Manly project.
Donated to Manly Art Gallery & Museum 1944."
It is outside the Art Gallery, and so is available 24/7 for viewing.
Address: Esplanade, Manly, NSW, Australia
Visited: 1933, Sunday, 4 February, 2018